Ohio's new fishing, hunting and trapping license and permit sales system is up

Ohio's 2011-12 fishing, hunting and trapping licenses and permits are on sale now, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), Division of Wildlife.

"Some agents have decided not to continue to sell licenses and others have decided to join as authorized license sales agents. Don't assume the place where you bought your license last year is still selling them." said Vicki Mountz, acting chief of the Division of Wildlife. "Visit wildohio.com to check the list of current license agents or purchase your license online."

Licenses purchased online or at a retail outlet will be printed on 8-1/2 x 11 paper that can be folded down to credit card size. Licenses and permits will appear on the left hand side of the document and the remaining column space will be printed with information relevant to the license or permit purchased. License paper will not be waterproof and must be protected.

Each license buyer must have a Social Security Number (SSN) recorded in the system. Sportsmen and women who have purchased licenses in the past and who provided an Ohio driver's license will most likely be unaffected. Youth hunters and those hunters that have never had a driver's license swiped during the license buying process must provide their SSNthe first time they purchase a license in the new licensing system.

SSNs are required to purchase a recreational license, regardless of age, for the purpose of child support collection enforcement under Federal Statute 42. As a recreational license provider, the Division of Wildlife is obligated to comply with this law, and cannot issue a license or permit without the SSN of the purchaser. The division will see that a proper security system is in place to protect SSNs and any databases that contain them.